Andrew Stewart advocates for an “open book” philosophy when discussing Tourette’s and other medical conditions.
Leveraging his personal experiences, he champions a more empathetic, compassionate, and equitable society by ensuring inclusion isn’t merely a sentiment spoken blithely for PR, but a deeply probing and honest experience. His willingness to share his journey openly serves as a powerful catalyst for community building.
For the last seven years, he’s worked as a dedicated Technology Support professional at Rogers. His advocacy efforts include organizing in-service training for colleagues, driving organizational literacy by asking “tougher questions” at leadership town halls, and actively participating in the Rogers Accessibility Network (RAN), building upon a family history of support that began with his father co-founding a Tourette support group.
He believes honesty is the only path to equity, empathy, and fulfillment.
Stewart’s candour regarding his experiences with Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, learning disabilities, and anxiety is a compelling example of honesty in a culture that often prioritizes superficial comfort. By openly discussing his challenges at work and in the media, he provides tangible substance to the concepts of radical honesty, compelling others to examine their own comfort zones and relational distance. His approach transforms personal coping strategies into a foundation for collective community support.
For Stewart, this level of openness is not merely a personality trait but a moral imperative. This foundational philosophy was influenced by his mother, Jan Stewart, who authored the book Hold on Tight: A Parent’s Journey Raising Children with Mental Illness, detailing her experience raising a child with complex needs.
Below are the key principles Andrew has developed during his journey.
Lesson 1: Embrace the Full Truth, Even When Challenging
Stewart is open about many aspects of life that most people would try to hide, directly discussing his early years, including a period in childhood marked by severe tics, rage, OCD rituals, sleeplessness, and intense fear. To cope with severe symptoms, he describes turning a playroom into a “rage room” with mattresses and using a soft neck brace to manage severe neck tics. He intentionally avoids romanticizing or embellishing these difficult moments. He is neither a victim nor heroic in his telling; it all comes out directly and honestly, with doses of humour and levity that convey openness and wisdom.
“The rages were pretty bad, punching holes through the walls,” he explains. “We actually turned our playroom into the rage room, so we moved everything out, put two mattresses in, lost the cupboards, and nothing was there except pillows and two mattresses.”
He shares his story unfiltered because he understands that others are facing similar struggles and need assurance. In our conversation, he summarized his guiding philosophy:
“You do not owe the world a perfect version of your story; you owe yourself an honest one.”
Lesson 2: Medication Can Save Lives
In an environment growing skeptical of drug-based medical interventions, he emphasizes the life-saving role of appropriate medical intervention, stating plainly, “Medication saved my life. With the right treatment, it gets better.”
When discussing how he felt before getting treatment, he explained, “I felt like I was going crazy and I just wanted to die.”
This clarity about medical treatment is vital. While it’s hard to convey in text, he explained this experience in the upbeat, almost jovial cadence of someone happy to be here still, because he knows it could have turned out differently. It was said with an energy intent on letting those who are earlier down the same path know that it’s not shameful to say aloud.
In keeping with his philosophy of honesty, Stewart also advocates for parents to be fully transparent with their children about medication, cautioning against referring to them as “special vitamins.” The undercurrents are clear: parents should help children cope with reality, as reality is inevitable, sooner or later. Facing it early and together may help limit suffering.
Lesson 3: Focus on Control, Not Recovery
A central theme in Stewart’s philosophy is the rejection of the term “recovery” in relation to neurodevelopmental conditions. He posits that Tourette’s Syndrome, OCD, ADHD, and autism are not conditions to be “overcome” or defeated; they are indelible elements of one’s life.
He asserts, “Nothing’s broken. You don’t recover. You learn control.”
This shift in terminology promotes a form of self-care rooted in self-knowledge, personal agency, and realistic hope over unattainable expectations. By moving away from framing neurological and mental health conditions as things to be defeated, the societal stigma is reduced, creating space for these aspects of identity to exist without shame.
The pursuit of “recovery” can be an unwinnable, frustrating goal, whereas “control” is a pragmatic method of integrating and skillfully managing what is present to create a richer life.
